Category: Freedom of Expression

Kourosh Jalil Sentenced to Over Two Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
irgc, IRGC Intelligence, Kourosh Jalil

HRANA News Agency – Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Yasuj has sentenced Kourosh Jalil, a resident of Yasuj, to two years, one month, and one day in prison.

According to the verdict, the court imposed ten months for “propaganda against the regime” and one year, three months, and one day for “insulting the Supreme Leader and the founder of the Islamic Republic.”

Jalil announced the verdict in a public post, stating that the IRGC Intelligence Organization had filed the complaint that led to his prosecution.

Earlier, Branch 1 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Boyer-Ahmad indicted him on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “spreading falsehoods.” His preliminary hearing, alongside two other citizens, took place on April 29, 2025.

The Ministry of Intelligence arrested Jalil in May 2024 and released him on bail two months later in July.

In a separate case, another court sentenced Jalil to three years in prison for “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic,” “unauthorized assembly,” “insulting Islamic sanctities,” “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and “propaganda against the regime.”

Kianoosh Cheraghi Arrested by Security Forces in Dehloran

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Freedom of Expression, News
Darreh Shahr, Dehloran, Ilam, Kianoosh Cheraghi

HRANA News Agency – Security forces have arrested Kianoosh Cheraghi, a resident of Dehloran, and transferred him to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Ilam, According to Kurdpa.

The arrest took place on June 24 at Cheraghi’s private residence, reportedly without a court warrant, according to a source familiar with the situation. At the time of publication, no information has been released regarding the charges or reasons for his detention.

Cheraghi had previously served time in Darreh Shahr Prison but was released in May following the suspension of his sentence. He had initially been detained on March 24, 2025, to serve a prison term at Ilam Prison.

In two separate cases, Cheraghi was sentenced to a total of three years in prison, along with additional penalties.

The 45-year-old is a former employee of the Social Security Organization in Dehloran.

Iranian Singer Danial Moghaddam Arrested in Tehran

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Freedom of Expression, News
Danial Moghaddam, Tehran, دانیال مقدم

HRANA News Agency – Danial Moghaddam, a singer, has been arrested in Tehran.

Today, Wednesday, June 25, Mohammad-Hadi Jafarpoor, an attorney, announced that Mr. Moghaddam has been detained after the Third Branch of the Revolutionary Court’s Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran issued a detention order due to his failure to post bail.

As of the time of this report, the reasons for his arrest and the charges against him remain unknown.

Danial Moghaddam has previously faced arrest and conviction due to his activities.

Sajad Mashhadi Hemmatabadi Arrested by Security Forces in Mashhad

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Freedom of Expression, News
Mashhad, Mashhadi Hemmatabadi, Sajad Mashhadi, سجاد مشهدی

HRANA News Agency – On Monday, June 16, security forces in Mashhad arrested Sajjad Mashhadi Hemmatabadi, a local resident, and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

According to information received by HRANA, Mashhadi Hemmatabadi was detained at his home. During the arrest, security agents searched his residence and confiscated several personal items, including his laptop and mobile phone.

The reasons for his arrest, the charges he may be facing, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

Mashhadi Hemmatabadi has previously been arrested and subjected to legal proceedings.

Student Activist Motahareh Goonehi Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, News, Students
Evin Prison, HRANA, Motahareh Goonehi, Motahareh Gounei, مطهره گونه ای

HRANA News Agency – On Saturday, June 14, student activist Motahareh Goonehi (Gounei) was arrested by security forces in Tehran.

The arrest took place earlier today, but no information has been released regarding the reasons for her detention, the charges brought against her, or her place of custody.

Goonehi is a dental student and the former political secretary of the Islamic Association of Students at the University of Tehran and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. She has previously faced arrest and security-related pressures due to her activism. She was released from Evin Prison on March 16, 2025, after completing her prison sentence.

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Masoumeh Shahnavaz Arrested by Intelligence Ministry Agents in Sabzevar

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Freedom of Expression, News, Women
Masoumeh Shahnavaz, Sabzevar, Shahram Sadidi

HRANA News Agency – On Friday, June 13, Masoumeh Shahnavaz, a resident of Sabzevar, was arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents at her home and taken to an undisclosed location. During the arrest, security forces searched her home and confiscated several of her and her family’s personal belongings.

Shahram Sadidi, Ms. Shahnavaz’s son, reported that his mother was violently arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents at her home in Sabzevar. During the arrest, agents searched the house and confiscated personal items belonging to his mother and their family.

He added that the arrest was in response to her reaction to Israeli airstrikes. According to Sadidi, Masoumeh Shahnavaz has undergone open-heart surgery twice and her life is at risk. Her whereabouts remain unknown as of the time of this report. Masoumeh Shahnavaz is a retired schoolteacher living in Sabzevar.

It is worth noting that Shahram Sadidi, who now resides outside Iran, has previously been arrested and faced legal action due to his activism.

Retired Teacher Zina Fereydounian Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Fereydounian, HRANA, Qorveh, Zina Fereydounian, زینا فریدونیان

HRANA News Agency – Zina Fereydounian, a retired teacher from Qorveh, has been sentenced by the city’s Revolutionary Court to over 13 months of prison and an additional three years of suspended imprisonment in two separate cases.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Fereydounian was sentenced to 10 months in prison for “propaganda against the regime.” In a separate case, she was sentenced to 91 days of discretionary imprisonment and an additional three years of suspended prison time. The court also imposed a travel ban on her.

Following the court’s refusal to allow her to serve her sentence under electronic monitoring outside prison, the 10-month sentence was referred to the sentence enforcement unit.

A source close to Faridounian’s family told HRANA: “In Qorveh, she supported vulnerable groups by covering wedding and living expenses. Her prison sentence stems solely from her criticism of social conditions.”

Revolutionary Court Sentences Two Retired Workers in Ahvaz to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
ahvaz, Ahvaz Revolutionary court, Farzaneh Zilabi, Mohammad-Zaman Kamrava, Morad Zohrabi

HRANA News Agency – Mohammad-Zaman Kamrava and Morad Zohrabi, two retired Social Security Organization workers from Ahvaz, have each been sentenced to two years in prison by Branch 2 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court.

According to HRANA, citing The Independent Iranian Workers Union, the ruling was issued on June 7, 2025, and has been formally communicated to the defendants. Both Kamrava and Zohrabi were convicted of “assembly and collusion to act against national security” and “propaganda against the regime,” with each receiving a two-year prison sentence.

The charges stem from their participation in retiree protests held in front of the Ahvaz Social Security office during February 2022, part of the nationwide Sunday demonstrations by retirees.

It’s worth noting that in late-April 2024, Kamrava was arrested by security forces following another retiree protest in Ahvaz and was later released.

Both men are residents of Ahvaz and retired from the Social Security Organization. Their legal representation is currently being handled by attorney Farzaneh Zilabi.

Appeals Court Upholds Sentences for Creators of My Favourite Cake

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Freedom of Expression, News
Behtash Sanaeeha, Iman Afshari, Maryam Moghaddam, My Favourite Cake

HRANA News Agency – The prison and financial penalties for Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam, directors of the film My Favourite Cake, along with the film’s producer Gholamreza Mousavi, have been upheld in full by Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court. In the initial ruling, the three were sentenced to a total of five years and four months in prison and ordered to pay monetary fines.

As per the ruling issued on May 27, 2025, the defendants were collectively sentenced to five years and four months in prison and fined 1.4 billion rials.

In the lower court ruling, issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam were each sentenced to 14 months in prison and fined 400 million rials for “propaganda against the regime through spreading falsehoods to disturb public opinion.” Their prison terms were suspended for five years. Additionally, Sanaeeha, Moghaddam, and Mousavi were each sentenced to one year in prison—also suspended for five years—and had their equipment confiscated for “collaboration in producing obscene content.”

Separately, Judge Iman Afshari convicted all three of “screening the film without a license,” ordering them to pay 200 million rials in fines and to forfeit all related equipment.

On March 1, 2025, a hearing for the three filmmakers, along with three other defendants—two actors and a cinematographer—was held in the same court.

The indictment for the filmmakers was issued in February 2025.

Despite My Favourite Cake receiving awards at international festivals—including the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival—Sanaeeha and Moghaddam, who are also a married couple, were unable to attend due to a travel ban.

The film was produced without censorship or enforcement of the mandatory hijab for its female actors. It drew significant criticism from officials at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

It’s worth noting that My Favourite Cake, a drama released in 2024, won the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival and attracted public attention after its online release.

Karim Asghari, a Relative of Varisheh Moradi, Arrested in Sanandaj

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Freedom of Expression, News
Evin Prison, Karim Asghari, Mehraneh Moradi, Sanandaj, Varisheh Moradi

HRANA News Agency – Today, Karim Asghari, the brother-in-law of Vrisheh Moradi, a political prisoner sentenced to death, was arrested in Sanandaj by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, who reportedly beat him during the arrest.

Based on information received by HRANA, at 1 PM today, Sunday, June 8, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj went to Mr. Asghari’s workplace. After presenting a judicial warrant, they arrested him with physical violence.

A source close to the family confirmed the news and told HRANA: “In recent months, members of Varisheh Moradi’s family—including her sister Mehraneh Moradi and Karim Asghari—have been under increasing security pressure.” According to this source, after Varisheh’s arrest, her family has been summoned multiple times to the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj and has been repeatedly threatened with arrest. The source also reported that Mehraneh Moradi was directly threatened with arrest should she continue to follow up on her sister’s case. She had previously, in 2016, been detained along with Karim Asghari for three months.

The source added: “In recent months, as the family sought to pursue Varisheh’s medical treatment and raised concerns over her being denied visits, Karim Asghari was temporarily detained by plainclothes security forces in front of Evin Prison. He was held in a vehicle for three hours, interrogated, and threatened. The agents explicitly warned that any disclosure of information about the case is prohibited and that media coverage would provoke severe consequences.”

As of the time of this report, there is no information on the reasons for Mr. Asghari’s arrest, his place of detention, or the charges against him.

Varisheh Moradi was arrested by security forces in the outskirts of Sanandaj in August 2023. She was ultimately transferred to Evin Prison on December 26, 2023. In late November 2024, she was sentenced to death by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, on the charge of baghi (armed rebellion).